Effective Date: January 1, 2016
This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please Review it carefully.
The physicians and staff of Pulmonary Associates of Lancaster (PAL) respect the privacy of your health information and believe protecting that confidentiality is essential for doctor/patient trust. We always strived to maintain this confidentiality. Recently, as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the federal law has mandated the privacy of protected health information. As part of the law, we are required to provide you with a notice of our legal duties and privacy practices and maintain the privacy of Protected Health Information.
This notice will describe Protected Health Information and how it may be used and disclosed. In addition it describes your rights to access and change information, limit disclosures, and request an accounting of certain disclosures. Please read and review this notice carefully. If you have any questions regarding this notice, contact the privacy officer:
Yaroslav Lando
Pulmonary Associates of Lancaster
540 North Duke St
Lancaster, PA 17604
(717) 826-9770
What is Protected Health Information?
Any information created or received that related to your past, present or future physical or mental health, care provided to you or payment of health care services. The privacy rule also protects non-health care information, which can be used to identify an individual.
Examples: Medical evaluations and test results, billing records, medical record numbers, individual names, addresses, telephone numbers and Social Security number.
Under what circumstances does the federal privacy rule allow the disclosure of the Protected Health Information?
- Treatment/Delivery of Medical Care – Including the coordination and management of health care services by other health care providers, administration and family members assisting in your care.
- Payment – Including sharing health information with insurers, health care plans and others responsible to pay for your medical bills for PAL and other health care providers.
- Health Care Operations – Protected Health Information can be used and disclosed for administrative purposes that are necessary to evaluate and improve your health care.
- Other Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information – The privacy rule allows for other disclosures outside treatment, payment and operations. This section includes categories and examples but is not meant to be all-inclusive. Many of these other disclosures are required by law. When using or disclosing your Protected Health Information for any purpose, Pulmonary associates of Lancaster will abide by the most stringent of federal, state and local laws, for public health activities, law enforcement & Judicial Purposes including law suits and disputes, coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, health oversight activities, special situations (organ donations and tissue transplant), notifications purposes, individuals involved in your care or payment for care and in response to a threat to public safety, terrorist activities or specialized government functions.
Change to Notice
While we are required to abide by the Notice currently in effect, we reserve the right to change this notice at any time. Changes to the Privacy Practice Notice will be effective for all Protected Health Information we maintain at the time of the change. A copy of the current notice will be posted in our office. Revised notices will be posted and available through our office.
Complaints
If you have concerns about your privacy rights or feel they have been violated, you may submit a complaint in writing to the PAL Privacy Officer or the Secretary of Health & Human Services. Our office can supply you with that address. There will be no retaliation against you for filing a complaint.
Under HIPAA, what are your rights regarding PHI?
- Right to inspect and copy your official medical and billing records.
- Right to amend your medical and billing records if you feel that they are incorrect or incomplete.
- Right to an accounting of disclosures of Protected Health Information not cover under treatment, payment or operational uses or previously authorized by you.
- Right to request further restrictions on how your PHI is used or disclosed although you are not required to agree to those restrictions.
- Right to request confidential communications or restrictions on how your medical information be used or disclosed.
- Right to obtain a paper copy of this notice from us even if you have agreed to accept this notice electronically.
To exercise your rights, we ask you submit a written request to the privacy officer. The request should include specific information, restrictions, dates and how requested information be handled. A reasonable change may be levied for labor and copying materials. We are not required to agree or comply with all requests.
Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills
Group Health Plan Price Transparency